The invention relates to a tamarillo (Cyphomandra betacea) tree bearing fruit suitable for the fresh fruit market.
The tree tomato, renamed the tamarillo in New Zealand around 1970, under cultivation produces an edible fruit, similar in size and shape to a hen egg. Generally believed to be native to the Andean region of Peru, and extending in range into Chile, Ecuador, and Bolivia, it is cultivated in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela.
Grown in New Zealand both as a commercial crop and by amateur growers, seed is thought to have been first introduced in the late 1800's, obtained from a missionary in Ecuador. In the wild, the fruit is generally small, splotchy and yellow or pale red in color. Selection and improvement by nurserymen have resulted in large red-fruited strains. Golden cultivars, ranging yellow to amber in external coloration, have also been introduced.
The tamarillo is a member of the Solanaceae family. It is a subtropical rather than tropical plant, and while succeeding in cooler climates, does best where the temperature remains above 10° C. Tamarillos are rapidly growing trees which produce good crops after 18 months. They are frost tender, seedlings and cuttings being most vulnerable in their first year, more mature plants tending to recover after frost damage so long as it is not too severe or prolonged.
Fruit are highly attractive and are usually cut and eaten with a spoon. Some people find the skin astringent and flesh too acid to their taste. However, the flavor overall is sweet to sub-acid, and the pulp juicy. Tamarillos are considered a nutritious fruit containing good quantities of several important vitamins including A, B6, C and E, are rich in iron and potassium, low in sodium, and a good source of fibre. While an excellent fruit for fresh consumption it has a limited storage life, suffering from chilling injury and post-harvest pathogens if maintained below 5° C. for any sustained period of time. Fruit processes extremely well, especially as pulp, puree, and juice.